Since first coming to prominence in the late seventies/early eighties with the group Spirit Level, saxophonist Paul Dunmall has made no secret of his love of the music of John Coltrane. Those that were fortunate enough to catch the group live before their eventual demise in 1989, would be enthralled by Dunmall's tenor excursions. Flights of fancy that would stretch the rhythm section of Tim Richards on piano, Paul Anstey on bass, and drummer Tony Orrell, and tear at the harmonic framework of the tune being played. This trait was clearly in evidence by the time the band recorded their second LP for Spotlite Records, the 1984 set Proud Owners on Dunmall's composition 'Rama & Sita' in a truly exhilarating performance.

As the lifetime of the Spirit Level progressed, Dunmall's interest in Coltrane and especially the freer aspects of the music were magnified, and the differences in approach between the saxophonist and pianist, Richards widened and the group finally decided to call it a day. Since then Paul has followed his own muse, delving further and further into improvised music with both his own groups and as a member of Mujician with Keith Tippett (piano), Paul Rogers (bass) and the late Tony Levin on drums, yet a dedication to Coltrane, whilst it seemed inevitable, had not been forthcoming.

"I have played many Coltrane tunes over the years, but in the last twenty five years I really concentrated purely on freely improvised music and hardly played any tunes or written material. It was the way of playing I was really attracted to and felt I could express myself in the best way" says Dunmall. "When Tony Levin died in 2011 myself and Alan Skidmore played the theme of Ascension at his funeral. Tony had always wanted me to play some Coltrane material with him but at the time I wasn't interested in doing it, however for some reason after Tony's death it came into my being that I wanted to play a dedication to Coltrane. It felt like the right time. I didn't want to just put a quartet together and start playing Trane's music I wanted to play it in a very open way just like the improvised music I had been working on over the years., and I thought that a duo with Tony Bianco would really work because Tony's drumming is very full. It reminded me of Indian music with a drone plus the tablas so that left me the space to go wherever I felt. After we recorded Thank You To John Coltrane I really felt there was plenty more to explore and so we ended up recording another 2 CDs, Tribute To Coltrane and Homage To John Coltrane."

In a large body of work recorded over the last three decades these three remarkable tribute albums(all released on the SLAM imprint), paradoxically sit seamlessly alongside the other items in Dunmall's discography yet also stand out as bold statements in their own right. "I picked the tunes that I thought would work with my way of playing,with loose harmonies and rhythms", explains Paul. "A lot of Coltrane's later tunes where based on short motives that suited my approach very well. Also I liked some of his beautiful melody's like 'Naima ' and 'Alabama'. Tony Bianco suggested 'Giant Steps' which is a very rigid and structured piece but on thinking about it I thought why don't I try my open way of playing with this piece and for me it worked out surprisingly well."

This passion for the music of John Coltrane is clear for everyone to hear in the impassioned playing on the above albums, and equally apparent when talking to Paul about Trane and the influence he has had on his playing to date. "I more or less love every note Coltrane played in his life" he enthuses. "but I think probably his later stuff from A Love Supreme on wards has had the most impact on me.There's a depth to it I find overwhelming in a good way, very uplifting and a very positive beautiful contribution to human history."

Recalling his first encounters with Coltrane's work, Dunmall says "The first Coltrane record I ever bought was Sunship then A Love Supreme both of those recording's are still very dear to me, I love them, but my first ever hearing of Coltrane was Meditations when I was 17 years old and I really wasn't ready for it. I thought it was terrible and didn't understand it at all. Some weeks later someone played me Afro Blue and for some reason my heart heard it and I thought it was wonderful. From that point on I couldn't get enough Coltrane, even really enjoying Meditations. Mind you that was awhile later before I braved listening to it again", he laughs. "On listening to him I felt an musical awakening in myself, I felt the spirituality in his music. As a player I was very very far from getting anywhere near his level of playing, but he inspired me to reach for those height's in my own playing which took many many years before I felt that I had something to say. Perhaps that is also why it took so long before I could make a dedication recording to Coltrane, in my mind the greatest tenor saxophone of all time."

In recent years, stepping away from the music of his idol, Paul declares that "At present I have no plans to do anymore Coltrane projects, and I don't think I would use the duo format for anymore Trane pieces", hesitating slightly he quickly adds "but never say never I might one day go back and do some more."

In the meantime, the saxophonist has been keeping busy with a new improvising quartet with stalwarts of the scene John Edwards on bass, drummer Mark Sanders, and the wildcard in pianist Liam Noble. The quartet have developed over a relatively short period of time into a formidable collective, and have just released their second album, Go Straight Around The Square. "I'm very happy with our new quartet CD" , says the saxophonist. "It was recorded live at the Vortex and has all the things I love about music. Melody,abstraction, time, no time, beauty, and energy. These guys are really great musicians and they are all especially great group players which is what makes this group outstanding in my opinion. And a nicer bunch guys you would be hard pushed to find."

Continuing, Paul says "Our first album, Chords of Connections was a studio recording, but this didn't make any difference to how we went about playing. Always great concentration trying to make all our contributions lift and enhance the music. It really is a meditation and a spiritual thing. You put so much energy in but when your finished you seem to get a reward of another sort of energy, your body maybe a bit tired but in yourself you feel energized and happy and hopefully the listener's feel that which in turn uplifts them."

When asked if he hopes to keep the group together long term, Paul grins adding, "Yes I hope to keep this quartet together for as long possible, everything has a life span. Mujician lasted 22 years perhaps this quartet might not last that long but you never know..."